Collapsible shelters



March 26, 1968 o. w. NEUMARK COLLAPSIBLE SHELTERS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 25, 1965 INVENTOR:

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March 26, 1968 o. w. NEUMARK 3,374,797

COLLAPSIBLE SHELTERS Filed May 25, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet :2

INVENTOR:

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COLLAPSIBLE SHELTERS Filed May 25, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR:

0m W N wwmk BY United States Patent 3,374,797 COLLAPSIBLE SHELTERS Otto Walter Neumark, 2 Churchill Ave., Stockport, England Filed May 25, 1965, Ser. No. 458,607 Claims priority, application Great Britain, May 25, 1964, 21,621/ 64 4 Claims. (Cl. 135-1) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A collapsible shelter or tent comprising, a canopy of substantially hexagonal shape when viewed in plan and with the canopy flattened. Posts are provided beyond at least three of the sides of the canopy. Supporting cables extend between the posts and to the ground, such cables defining an equilateral triangle between them. Secondary cables extend from the posts to the center of the canopy and couple thereat to a triangulated plate. Stressing cables are provided at the six sides of the canopy and these cables extend along upwardly curved lines which define the tops of the sides or walls of the resultant tent, the said sides or walls being convexly curved at the top by the action of the said stressing cables.

This invention relates to collapsible shelters, and has for its object an improved construction of shelter which will be particularly suitable as a hangar for housing aircraftwhich require to undergo servicing or repair in hot, dusty or arctic environments.

The structure hereinafter described is readily adapted to be broken down into relatively small and light components such as can be transported by air, whilst at the same time being designable to withstand any maximum wind speed and capable of rapid assembly and erection by a small labour force.

According to the present invention, the improved collapsible shelter comprises a flexible canopy formed into substantially equally-spaced radiating ridges by mutuallyconnected supporting cables and by the pull of tensioned reinforcements whereby the parts of its periphery intermediate said supporting cable are formed into substantially parabolic arches.

Each of the supporting cables may be led to a ground anchorage over the head of a mast erected externally of the canopy periphery, and conveniently there are three such masts at the corners of a substantially equilateral triangle.

Reinforced parts of the canopy periphery at opposite sides of each ridge may be connected to the adjacent supporting cable and tensioned to form secondary parabolic arches which make acute angles with the main arches.

The canopy may be formed in a number of like sections which are marginally united to one another in a readily-releasable manner, and whose peripheral edges may be similarly united to flexible side and end walls having separate ground anchorages between parabolic reinforcements, said side wall being .capable of being gathered up to form a doorway of wide span.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a collapsible shelter embodying the present invention, and

FIG. 2 is a side elevation FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective View showing the interior of one of the canopy joints FIG. 4 is a section on the line 4+4 of FIG. 1

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of one of the masts FIG. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of FIG. 7

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a corner of the shelter 3,374,797 Patented Mar. 26, 1968 FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 and shows in detail the marginal tensioning means for the canopy FIG. 9 is an enlarged section on the line 9-9 of FIG. 8

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the arrangement of one of the supporting cables whereby a ridge formation is imparted to the tensioned canopy, and

FIG. 11 is an enlarged section on the line 11-11 of FIG. 10.

In the example of the improved shelter illustrated, which is capable of housing a medium bomber or large tactical aircraft or alternatively several fighters, the planform of the canopy 10 exhibits three radiating limbs defined by substantially parabolic curves 11 and each having a blunt end 12 of double parabolic profile.

For convenience of transport the canopy 10 is divided into three identical sections 13 along radial lines from its centre to the mid-points of its main parobolic edges 11, the adjoined edges of such sections being connected together by readily-releasable means.

In the convenient arrangement shown in FIG. 3 one of each pair of adjoined edges is hemmed or otherwise reinforced at 14 and provided with one or more rows of webbing loops 15, whilst the other is similarly hemmed or reinforced at 16 to carry one or more rows of correspondingly spaced eyelets 17, the two edges being mutually overlapped so that the loops 15, after being passed through the opposing eyelets 17, can be threaded each through the next in the manner known as Dutch-lacing. Two flaps 1'8 sewn along the adjoined edges may be brought face-to-face by this operation (see FIG. 4) and sealed together by touch-fastener strips as at 19, or alternatively by slide-fasteners For supporting the canopy 10, three masts 20 (say 44 feet high overall) are erected at the corners of an equilateral triangle with sides (say) feet long, each such mast having a row of grooved rollers 21 or a single pulley mounted in head 22 thereof (FIG. 5), and the adjacent canopy section 13 having a medial ridge formed thereon by a wire supporting cable 23.

End fittings carried by the three cables 23, are bolted to dilferent corners of a duplex triangular plate 24 at the junctions of the three canopy sections 13, the inner ends of which are formed with V notches 25 collectively providing a triangular access opening above this centre plate. After thevconnections have been made, such opening is covered by a fabric patch 26 secured by Dutch lacing over its edges and sealed by touch-fastener strips.

The exposed outer ends of the three ridge cables 23 are shackled at 27 to extension cables 28 each of which is led over the head of the adjacent mast 20 and down to a suitable ground anchorage 29 beyond the latter. Conveniently such extension cable is secured by means of a shackle and turnbuckle to a number of wire slings connecting pairs of auger-type anchors, but other known forms of anchorage may be used depending upon the nature of the terrain.

It is preferred to construct each mast 20 from two truncated metal cones with a bolted flange joint at their larger ends, the lower end of the mast making ball-andsocket engagement with a foot-plate 30. The two sections of such a mast can be nested one within the other when the shelter is packed for transport.

When the masts 20 have been assembled and hauled vertical at the appropriate distances apart, they are held erect by means of three wires 31 connecting their heads 22 and two divergent wire guys 32 from each of the latter to the ground.

The erection of the canopy 10 is effected by hauling on the three extension cables 28 until the centre plate 24 is (say) 30 feet above ground-level, each of the three radiating ridges then forming with the next a complete parabolic curve.

Cables 33 are passed through tunnels provided along the three main parabolic edges 11 of the canopy 10, and the twin parabolas 12 of the latter at opposite sides of each ridge cable 23 are likewise traversed by cables 34 connected to the adjacent shackle 27, the free ends of these marginal cables 33, 34 being connected to further ground anchorages 35 by turnbuckles or other means whereby they can be tensioned to effect lateral extension of the canopy after its erection as aforesaid. It is convenient, with a shelter of the dimensions quoted, to arrange the ground anchorages for the ridge extension cables 28, mast guys 32, and marginal cables 33, 34 at points on a circle of 100 feet radius.

The cables 33 led through the two main parabolic edges 11 which define each limb of the canopy 10 are pulled in directions roughly parallel to the intervening ridge extension cable 28 when the shelter is viewed in plan; whilst the cables 34 contained in the end edge of the canopy limb are pulled roughly at 60 degrees to the adjacent cables 33, the fabric of each canopy section 13 being thereby tensioned both parallel and at right angles to the ridge cable 23 to withstand wind force and snow-load.

Each main arch 11 of the canopy 10 has the upper edge of a suitably shaped side wall 36 laced to a webbing flap 37 at its underside (see FIG. 6) the shorter doubleparabolic edges 12 at the ends of the canopy limbs supporting end walls 38 in a similar manner.

Each of these end walls 38, whose upper parts are tapered to suit the gable form of the canopy limbs (FIG. 7) is provided at its lower part with a row of four parabolic sleeves 39 accommodating tension webbings 40 which are roped to ground anchors 41 so that the wall slopes outwardly from the periphery of the canopy 10.

For ventilation purposes, the apex of each end wall 38 has a net-covered triangular opening 42 protected by a fabric cowl 43 which can be extended by means of a bifurcated cord 44 attached to two points at its free edge and led over the adjacent mast-head 22, a second bifurcated cord 45 secured to the same points being led through eyes on the canopy edge 12 so that when pulled it will fold the excess material of the cowl 43 which then screens the opening 42.

The side walls 36, which may measure (say) 95 feet across, are constructed and located in the same manner as the end walls 38, but each has a greater number of parabolic sleeves 39 for receiving the tension webbing 40 and provision is made for furling it towards the adjacent main parabolic edge 11 of the canopy 10 to form a fullwidth doorway of considerable height, (say) 25 to 30 feet, and allowing the passage of large aircraft into or out of the shelter.

The furling means (FIG. 6) comprises rows of rings 44 attached to the side wall 36 at intervals along its lateral edges, as well as along a medial line and at two intermediate positions, a cord 45 attached to the uppermost ring of each row being threaded through the rest and then led upwards over a pulley block 46 suspended from the wire 31 which cannects the two adjacent mast-heads 22. Thus when the tension webbings has been released, simultaneous pulling on the free ends of the cords will gather up the side wall 36 in concertina folds defined by the spacing of the rings 44.

Each side wall 36 is made with excess width to allow of its being fully furled and hoisted above the adjacent main arch 11 of the canopy 10, this excess width being disposed of at other times by lacing together, as at 47, two laterally spaced rows of loops provided on the wall and thereby laterally tensioning the wall 36. Preferably the lacing 47 is applied in two stages, of which only the upper need be released to allow the furled wall to pass beyond the chordal line between its two upper corners.

As shown in FIG. 7 the juxtaposed lateral edges of the side wall 36 and end walls 38 are each provided at their upper parts with two parabolic sleeves 48, tension webbings 49 in which have their exposed portions laced together at 50 and are continued downwards through tunnels 51, in the lower part of. such edges, which define personnel entrances at the corners of the shelter.

The side walls 36 and end walls 38 are made with such depth that, when they have been anchored by the sleeved tension webbings 40 they continue to ground level and can be turned inwards at 52,to form occluded seals, such ground flaps being pegged, sand-bagged or otherwise located against both inwards and outwards forces.

In erecting the shelter, the side walls 36 and end walls 38 are secured together as aforesaid and also laced to the canopy sections 13 prior to the latter being raised by hand-winching the three ridge extension cables 28 which pass over the mast-heads 22. This operation is followed by checking the ground anchorages and the tensions of the various cables.

It will be appreciated that, whereas in any collapsible shelter in which a flexible canopy is tensioned by means of a flexible cable running through an inwardly-concave edge thereof and/ or supporting the canopy in ridged formation, the substantially parabolic curvature acquired by such cable causes the forces applied to the canopy to be distributed approximately uniformly, there is a natural tendency for the canopy material to ride along the cable towards the crest of its curve, which may give rise to local stresses in cases where such material is fixed to the cable.

These are not serious with canopies of small area and made of plastic-coated fabric, since a compatible sheath or coating adherent to the cable may then be bonded directly to the canopy or within a tunnel of similar material united thereto.

With normal tentage fabrics, however, location of the tensioning cable has hitherto been effected by the traditional sailmaking technique of rolling or folding it within the canopy material and sewing it in place by whipping over with strong thread.

This method, however, is inappropriate with the lighter fabrics required for the ready transportation in dismantled condition of a large shelter such as that just described, since the tensioning forces acting along each cable may be sufficient progressively to rupture the stitching and possibly to so damage the enclosing fabric that the cable can tear free thereof.

The present invention, however, envisages means whereby this difliculty is overcome and whereby a light fabric canopy can be heavily tensioned over, or through the medium of, a cable without risk of damage to itself or any tendency to ride up as aforesaid.

As previously indicated each such peripheral part of the canopy 10 is cut to a shape based upon a parabola but modified slightly to allow for its angular relationship to other parts of the canopy periphery and the fact that the slopes of such canopy are non-planar.

Each of the curved edges 11 may be folded over to'form a tunnel from end to end thereof for reception of one of the cables 33, but preferably the tunnel effect is achieved by the attachment of a suitably developed fabric sleeve 53 thereto by spaced lines of stitching 54, 55 as shown in FIG. 9.

There is a tunnel formed by sewing the edges of a sleeve 53 to the main fabric 10 at 54, 55. Through this tunnel is led the tensioned cable 33, the load imposed on the sleeve 53 being distributed by the superimposed webbing bands 56, 57, each of which is flexiblyanchored within the tunnel by means of its attached backing strip 58 or 59. The edges of the strip 58 are sewn to the sides of the tunnel at 60, those of the strip 59 being attached either to the strip 58 at 61 as shown or directly to the tunnel sides above the seams 60.

Both backing strips are arranged with sufiicient fullness to ensure that, under the pullof the cable 33, the backing strips 58, 59 will assume a trough form with their-webbings 56, 57 lying in contact with one another and with the bight of such sleeve.

The projecting ends of the cable 33 are connectedto these ground anchorages 35, as shown in FIG. 8, through the medium of turnbuckles 62 or the like, whilst to ensure that the canopy edge 11 will not ride upthe curve of the cable due to the tension component along such edge increasing towards its corners, the ends of the two webbings 56, 57 after emergence from the sleeve 53 are connected to the same ground anchorages 35 through the medium of tensioners 63 and rope guys 64, or alternatively they may be attached directly to the cable 33 through suitable tensioning means.

The intervening parabolic edges 12 of the canopy are reinforced in a similar manner, the tensioned cables 33-, 34 and associated webbing reinforcements of each two juxtaposed edges 11, 12 of the canopy being crossed over one another and individually secured as shown in FIG. 8.

Since the weight of the canopy 10 necessarily brings the center-plate 24 below the level of the masthead 22, there is a tendency for its ridge portions 65 to ride inwardly down their supporting cables 23, and to prevent this each such ridge portion is provided as shown in FIGS.

10 and 11, with a double webbing reinforcement 66, 67 corresponding to that previously described.

A backing strip 68 carrying the upper webbing 66 has its edges sewn at 69 to a wider strip 70 backing the lower webbing 67 and having its edges sewn at 71 to the ridge portion 65. Alternatively, the latter which may or may not be an integral part of the canopy 10, may have both backing strips 68, 70 sewn directly thereto.

The weight of the canopy 10 imparts an inverted trough form to each of these backing strips, and the attachment of the lower strip 70 to its webbing 67 serves to position the latter within a longitudinally split tunnel 72 which accommodates the cable 23, the edges of such tunnel being securable together in any suitable manner; for example, they may be provided respectively with loops 73 and eyelets 74 for connection in the manner known as Dutch-lacing.

The inner ends of the webbings 66, 67 are attached to plates 75 for connection to the center-plate bolts 76 whilst their outer ends project beyond the canopy ridge 65 and are connected to the shackles 27 either directly or through the medium of tensioners.

It will be appreciated that, in each of the arrangements above described, the canopy fabric is insulated from the cable 23, 33 or 34 by the interposed webbings, the tensioning load being transmitted by the latter to the canopy through a number of spaced lines of stitching so that there is no risk of the localized tearing which might occur if the webbings were sewn directly to the canopy 10.

I claim:

1. A collapsible shelter comprising a flexible canopy of substantially triangular shape, three masts erected at the corners of a substantially equilateral triangle, three mast support cables defining a triangle connected between adjacent mastheads, three ridge cables radiating from a connection at the center of the canopy along substantially equally spaced radiating lines and tensioned over the masts to support the canopy and form ridges along the supported area thereof, said canopy being composed of marginally-united sections which are respectively disposed between the locations of said ridge cables and having parabolically-shaped edges.

2. A canopy as set forth in claim 1, wherein marginal cables extend parabolically across the edges of the canopy between the main doors and the top thereof, and between the end walls and the top thereof forming parabolic arches when the canopy is erected.

3. A canopy as set forth in claim 2, wherein tunnels are provided along said canopy ridges to accommodate said ridge cables, flexible restraining members secured along said tunnels and connected externally thereof to said ridge cables.

4. A canopy as set forth in claim 2, wherein tunnels are provided along said canopys ridges and parabolic edges to accommodate said ridge and marginal cables respectively, a webbing restrainer laid within each tunnel so as to be engaged between the wall thereof and the adjacent cable, said restrainer is connected beyond the ends of said tunnel, a fabric strip having said webbing sewn medially thereof and sewn along its edges to opposite walls of said tunnel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,839,076 12/1931 Adams 1 2,511,974 6/1950 Finken et a1. 135-1 2,880,741 4/1959 McGrand 135-1 3,060,949 10/ 1962 Moss 1351 3,225,408 12/1965 Dunham 135-1 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,312,332 11/1962 France.

DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner.

PETER M. CAUN, Examiner. 

